The official blog of guidebook author and outdoors writer and photographer, Craig Romano

Sunday, June 07, 2009

Court House Continuum

You can add to my list of favorite Washington courthouses (no, I haven't spent time in them fighting infractions!), the Jefferson County Courthouse. I can't believe I forgot that one! I was in Port Townsend this past weekend giving a talk at the Jefferson County Historical Museum and had the opportunity to walk around town a bit later. (Also the opp to view a special comic book collection-thanks, Bill!) I forgot how beautiful PT's courthouse is.

And you can add Port Townsend to my favorite towns for doing a book talk at. PT has surpassed Bellingham in the number of attendees I have gotten at an event. I had over 80 fellow hikers crammed in the city council chambers to hear me talk about hiking in the Olympics. Sold a considerable amount of books too. Thanks PT!

And if I wasn't a guidebook writer maybe I would go in business printing left-wing bumper stickers. I'd make a fortunate selling them in PT. What is it with far lefties anyways with their constant need to be a walking billboard to shove their views in your face? You rarely ever see a far-right winger with more than two bumper stickers on his/her vehicle. But lefties-their entire VW van is plastered in them-maybe its holding those junkie carbon-belchers together! Bumper stickers are like cats-if you have more than two you definitely have some personality disorder! And don't even get me going on tattoos and piercings. At times when I was walking around PT I felt like I was back in the 1890s at a circus sideshow! Oh, Romano you just don't understand free expression- the hell I don't I'm using it right now!

Seriously, PT is a beautiful town and a great place to hang out and there are definitely some characters there. But there are characters everywhere-conservative, liberal, apolitical, apocalyptic-they just are more noticeable in PT. Or to paraphrase New York Comedian Eddie Diaz when he commented on meeting me in Seattle years ago. "Romano-uh? back in my hometown Romano is like dog crap in the city-there's one on every corner!" And in PT there's one shall we say confromed non-conformist (I swear they all read the same handbook on how to dress, dance, and what to eat and say) on every corner as well. Ain't America grand?!

Fifty for Fifty

Visit CraigRomano.com

About Me

Born in Connecticut, raised in New Hampshire, and living in Washington state since 1989. Fiercly proud of New England and Italian roots. Capiche? Writer and Guidebook Author of: Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula, Day Hiking North Cascades, Day Hiking Central Cascades,
Best Hikes with Dogs Inland Northwest, Winter Hikes of Western Washington, and Columbia Highlands-Exploring Washington's Last Frontier, Backpacking Washington, and Day Hiking Columbia River Gorge(all published by Mountaineers Books). Co-author Day Hiking Eastern Washington with Rich Landers. Currently working on Day Hiking San Juan and Gulf Islands (Spring 2014)and Day Hiking Mount St Helens (with Aaron Theisen) Spring 2015. Co-author of Best Wildflower Hikes (Mountaineers Books) and Natural Skagit (SLT). Columnist for Northwest Runner and Outdoors NW. Co-creator of Hikeoftheweek.com.